“I don’t understand how you fixed my daughter’s problem,” explains Patience’s mother, “but am sincerely grateful for your support and love towards my little baby. I pray that she will live a healthy life.”

“Patience was born at home, but was rushed to a nearby district hospital when her parents noticed an open mass on her back,” explains the African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), our medical partner in Kenya. Patience has spina bifida, a condition in which the vertebrae overlying the spinal cord remain unfused and open to the air.

“Four-day-old baby Patience is the last born child in a family of eight children,” shares AMHF. “Patience’s father is an herbalist, while her mother tends to their small farm. Patience’s family is unable to raise funds for her surgical care.”

For $805, we can fund a procedure that will close the open mass on Patience’s back. “Patience’s surgery will prevent infection and other complications of the spinal cord like tethered cord or kyphoscoliosis [irregular curvature of the spine],” AMHF explains.

“I was very scared when I saw the open mass on my baby’s back,” Patience’s mother says. “I feared that she would not survive a day. I thank God that she can be treated and live a normal life.”

“Patience was born at home, but was rushed to a nearby district hospital when her parents noticed an open mass on her back,” explains the Af...

Patience's Timeline

Patience received treatment. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.